Mushville Democratic Union
This article describes the Mushville Democratic Union as depicted in the SuriVerse - the nation as it appears in Surillyacom Entertainment's games and media, where it holds physical territory. For the real-world micronation of the same name, which is non-territorial, see the § The MDU outside the SuriVerse section below.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Long Name | Mushville Democratic Union |
| Common Name | MDU |
| Capital | Mushville |
| Official Language | American English |
| National Language | Muvilan (Mushvillian) |
| President | Surillya |
| Government Type | Unitary direct democracy under a President for Life |
| Named | 2017 |
| Union founded | 2024 |
| Constitution ratified | April 19th, 2026 |
| Currency | MDU Dollar (M$ / MDUD) United States Dollar (US$) |
| Country Code | MDU |
| TLD | .mdu.pm |
| Website | https://mushville.mdu.pm |
| Anthem | "Mushville" |
| SIPL Calling Code | +001 |
| Area | ~314 mi² (mainland, ~20 mi diameter) |
| Population | Estimated ~763,800 |
| Demonym | Mushvillian |
The Mushville Democratic Union (MDU), often referred to by the name of its capital Mushville, is a nation in the SuriVerse. It is a union of five member states and one territory, presided over by Surillya.
Within the SuriVerse the MDU is a physical place with land, cities, infrastructure and a resident population - the setting for several Surillyacom projects, including Pokémon: Cloudbright. Its design draws on the Twin Cities of Minnesota and on Black City from Pokémon Black Version.
Etymology
The name Mushville is an English rendering of the German Pilzdorf, literally "mushroom village" (Pilz = mushroom, Dorf = village).
Around 2017, with the Welcome amiibo update to Animal Crossing: New Leaf releasing for the Nintendo 3DS, Lucy watched a large number of Let's Plays of the game, including older series predating the update. In one German Let's Play, the creator named their town "Pilzdorf". The name stuck, and Lucy began using it for her own towns.
Lucy later translated the name into English as "Mushville", in keeping with her American heritage. She then used it for her island in a community project in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, an island modeled on Black City.
Missing details. The identity of the original German Let's Play and its creator is not recorded. If you know which series this was, please write to contact@surillya.com.
Lucy dislikes mushrooms as food, and the name became a permanent reminder of that: a mnemonic for the Union's best-known rule, the prohibition of mushrooms in food. Decorative use of certain mushrooms, such as the fly agaric, remains permitted, subject to restrictions on species and place of display.
The second element of the name reflects the Union's self-description as a democratic association of cities, towns and resorts rather than a single settlement. When Lucy reinvented Mushville as a capital during a Minecraft project in which participants founded factions and nations, the Mushville Democratic Union was born, with Lucy as President.
History
Origins (2017–2024)
Mushville existed for years as a recurring place name with no political character: a town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, then an island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Foundation (2024)
The Union was founded in 2024 on a Minecraft server, where participants established factions and nations. Mushville was reconstituted as the capital of a union of cities, towns and resorts. The Union subsequently developed independently of the server project, acquiring its own government portal and legal code, and gained recognition through peers and through reflections in other projects.
Constitutional period (2026– )
The constitution was ratified on April 19th, 2026. It fixed the office of President for life, created the office of Vice President, established the mechanism for popular voting and petitions, and made both Articles and Amendments permanent and unrepealable.
The Mushville Broadcasting Service launched on May 24th, 2026. Citizen services, suspended during a period of infrastructure changes, reopened on June 7th, 2026.
Geography
Within the SuriVerse, the MDU mainland is roughly circular, about 20 miles in diameter, covering approximately 314 square miles. The capital, Mushville, is on the north-eastern side.
Member states and territories
| Name | Mushvillian | Code | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mushville | Muvil | MV | ~320,000 | Founding state and capital |
| Jabonia | Jabonia | JA | ~195,000 | |
| Markistan | Makisan | MA | ~140,000 | |
| United Democratic State | United Sate | US | ~75,000 | |
| Pulloverian | Puloverian | PU | ~32,000 | |
| Mushville Resort | Resoto | - | ~1,800 | Car-free territory of Mushville; not a member state |
The MDU is not a federation. Member states hold no legislative power of their own: they may make local arrangements within the framework of Union law, but cannot enact statutes independently of the Union or override one the Union has adopted. All lawmaking power rests with the citizens voting as a single body.
Landmarks
- Mall of Mushville (MOM) - the Union's principal shopping complex.
- The Twin Towers of Mushville - a pair of towers of 13 and 14 floors.
- The pink inn - an as-yet unnamed inn, notable for its exterior color.
Government and politics
The MDU is a unitary direct democracy under a President for Life. There is no legislature; matters belonging to the citizens are decided by direct vote.
Constitution
The constitution is the supreme law of the Union and consists of nine permanent Articles and six Amendments. The Articles may not be altered, repealed or suspended by anyone, including the President. The constitution may grow only by the addition of new Amendments, which require a two-thirds majority of votes cast, may not contradict an existing Article or Amendment, and themselves become permanent on adoption.
The nine Articles are brief and were drafted informally during the founding period. They include the prohibition of mushrooms in food (Articles 1 and 2), a prohibition of discrimination (Article 3), a guarantee of "freedom of breakfast" (Article 4), and several self-referential provisions concerning the ratification of Article 7.
The six Amendments establish the presidency (I), the distribution of voting power (II), the vice presidency and succession (III), the right of petition (IV), the prohibition of circumventing a popular vote (V), and the immutability of the constitution (VI).
President
The President is head of state and head of government. Under Amendment I the office is held for life and may be left only by resignation or death; no vote, court, assembly or petition may remove the holder. It has been held since foundation by Surillya.
The presidency carries no veto. Under Amendment II the President holds 20% of total voting power in any vote of the Union and the Vice President holds 5%, with the remaining 75% divided equally among all citizens at one vote each. Shares are recalculated from the number of citizens voting so as to preserve those proportions, rounded up to the nearest whole vote, with a minimum of one vote each. A united three-quarters of the citizenry can always overrule both officers.
Vice President
The Vice President is elected by a vote of all citizens, the President included, and exists chiefly for succession: on the death or resignation of the President, the Vice President immediately succeeds to the presidency for life. Every two years the citizens may vote to retain or replace the Vice President. Amendment III bars any Vice President who causes, attempts, conspires in or is complicit in the death, incapacitation or unlawful removal of the President from succeeding, and forfeits the office in such a case.
The office is currently vacant.
Votes and petitions
Amendment V voids any act by the President or any official that substitutes a restricted vote, alters procedure, or is otherwise designed to avoid a popular vote or to escape being overruled.
Amendment IV establishes a right of petition. Any petition signed by at least 10% of citizens must be formally received, considered in good faith, and answered by the President with a public, reasoned response; it may not be ignored, indefinitely delayed or dismissed. Petitions are submitted through citizen services.
Political parties
The current legal code makes no provision for political parties, and none are registered with the Union.
Law
Statutes are ordinary law adopted by vote. They sit beneath the constitution, which is supreme, and no statute may contradict it. The code is published at https://mushville.mdu.pm/law in three categories.
General Provisions (GGL) - national symbols, language and currency. GGL-001 defines the flag; GGL-002 makes English the official language of government proceedings and recognizes Muvilan as a national language; GGL-003 sets out legal tender.
Citizenship (CIT) - CIT-001 acquisition by application, by marriage to a citizen, or by descent from a citizen parent; CIT-002 rights to vote, to stand for the vice presidency and to petition; CIT-003 the MDU passport as official identity document, which every citizen must hold, with loss or theft to be reported promptly so a replacement can be issued; CIT-004 renunciation at any time by written notice; CIT-005 revocation only for serious misconduct and only by vote.
Conduct and Sanctions (POC) - POC-001 harassment and abuse; POC-002 fraud and theft, for which restitution may be ordered; POC-003 bribery and abuse of office; POC-004 unauthorized access to Union systems, data theft and disruption of services; POC-005 the available sanctions (warning, fine, removal from office, revocation of citizenship), which must be proportionate to the offense; POC-006 the right of every accused member to a fair hearing and a reasoned decision before a sanction is imposed.
Naturalization
Applications are made through MDU Form C, filed through citizen services. Applicants give their name and date of birth as they appear on legal identification, their country of residence, a statement of their reasons for applying and a means of contact, and upload a government-issued photo identity document. Applicants must hold a certificate of English at B1 level or above issued within the previous three years; native speakers holding identification issued by Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States may instead claim a waiver.
Identity documents are used only to verify the applicant during review and are permanently deleted once the required details have been recorded. Applicant data is stored in Singapore and encrypted in transit, and may be deleted at any time on request. Applicants may redact all information on an uploaded document except their name, date of birth, issuing country and photograph. The Union honors the GDPR and equivalent privacy rights.
The Union describes its approach to citizenship as one of quality over quantity.
Military
The MDU maintains no armed forces of any kind and describes itself as a neutral, war-free nation.
Economy
Under GGL-003 both the MDU dollar (MDUD, symbol M$) and the United States dollar are legal tender. The MDU dollar is pegged to the US dollar at US$1 = M$150. Other currencies may be accepted at the pegged value, with transaction fees borne by the sender.
Businesses may be either state-owned or citizen-owned.
Demographics
The MDU does not collect or publish data on the ethnicity or religion of its citizens as a matter of policy, holding such information to be outside the proper business of the state.
Languages
American English is the official language of government proceedings under GGL-002. Muvilan (also rendered Mushvillian) is recognized as a national language. It remains under development, and no teaching materials have been published.
Religion
Citizens hold freedom of religion. The government describes itself as atheist and neutral, and does not record religious affiliation.
National symbols
Flag
Under GGL-001 the flag has a 3:2 aspect ratio and consists of three vertical bands in pastel pink, pastel blue and pastel pink. The pink is #fbcce7 and the blue is #9bddff.
The Union has deliberately not adopted a coat of arms or other national emblem.
Anthem
The national anthem is "Mushville", composed by President Surillya in 2026. It is an instrumental composition.
Communications
Telephony
The MDU is reachable through SIPL, operating in the +0 zone under the country code +001.
Numbers follow NANP formatting, using area codes like 688 (Mushville) and 837 (United Democratic State), and are written in full as +001 (xxx) 1xx-xxxx. The exchange always begins with a 1, which is not possible under the NANP proper. Citizens receive numbers in exchanges 125–129; non-citizens may sign up and receive numbers in exchanges 150–159.
The President's number is +001 (688) 125-SURI.
Reserved and unobtainable subscriber numbers:
- 6000–6999 in the 125 exchange - reserved for fictional usage.
- 6874 (MUSH)
- 7874 (SURI) - with the exception of the President
- 2489 (CITY)
- 7654 (POLI)
- 2468 (AGNT)
- 4478 (HIST)
- 3473 (FIRE)
- 5683 (LOVE)
- Certain further subscribers deemed inappropriate.
Media
The Mushville Broadcasting Service (MBS) is the Union's public broadcaster. It launched on May 24th, 2026 and publishes articles on domestic and international affairs.
Culture
Everyday culture in the MDU largely follows that of the United States, including its traditions, media, cuisine and holidays.
The most distinctive cultural feature of the Union is its prohibition of mushrooms in food, entrenched in the constitution and the source of the Union's name. Mushrooms remain permitted as decoration, subject to restrictions on species and place of display.
The MDU outside the SuriVerse
The Mushville Democratic Union also exists as a real-world micronation, founded in 2024 and sharing this article's etymology, history, constitution, legal code, flag, anthem, currency and government structure.
The one substantial difference is territory. The real MDU is non-territorial: it holds no land, administers no physical site, and has issued no declaration of independence from any sovereign state. It will make no territorial claim unless land is lawfully acquired. Consequently:
- The member states and Mushville Resort are administrative constructs, not defined areas of land, and Mushville is the administrative capital rather than a settlement. Mushville Resort has not been established and no site has been acquired for it.
- No official time zone, international dialing code or vehicle traffic side is designated.
- Population and area figures given above, and all landmarks, are in-universe only.
- Citizenship figures are not published.
- In the absence of territory, MDU law governs the conduct of its members and the running of the Union itself rather than any place.
- Article 3, which prescribes death as the penalty for homophobia, transphobia, misogyny and racism, operates as a statement of founding principle: the Union holds no territory, courts or enforcement apparatus, and the sanctions actually available under the statutory code are limited to warning, fine, removal from office and revocation of citizenship.
The MDU maintains no formal diplomatic relations and belongs to no micronational organization, though it is open to extending and receiving recognition from other micronations.